Bambi: The Signature Collection - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Bambi: The Signature Collection

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
Bambi is probably one of Disney’s most classic films for some bizarre reason, even though it is probably one of the most simplistic films from their classic lineup. Walt Disney had already garnered HUGE success with his first four films, and he wanted to do something a little softer and quieter than Grimm fairytales, or life lesson infused teaching tools. Bambi takes the exact opposite approach, and just allows the viewer to marvel in wonder at the sweet characters and revel in the slice of life storytelling that comes from watching a fawn go from birth to kinghood. There’s no massive life lesson, no adventure to be had (unless you count the forest fire that happens, or Bambi having to learn about life and death when his mother is taken from him), but it’s magically sweet and intoxicating as we get to come along with the little daily jaunts that Bambi, Thumper, Flower and the rest get into for some unknown reason.

The plot for Bambi IS very simple. Bambi is a young prince as they would say (otherwise known as a young buck), and his life is one of wonder. Raised by his mother, we watch as the little buck takes his first steps, makes his first friends with a jackrabbit named Thumper, and a little skunk named Flower. The rest of the film is basically us watching the three of them enjoy life. Bambi getting his first time on ice, hanging out with his forest friends, and even getting his first deer kiss (This IS the film where we get the decades used line “twitterpeted). There’s a few hiccups along the way, mainly to do with the giant forest fire near the end that nearly claims the woods, and the ALLLLLL too famous point in the movie where even the most rabid of hunter gets ticked off and yells “you seriously shot Bambi’s mother!?” while throwing your remote at the screen.

Originally taken from the 1923 novel from Felix Salten, Bambi is a sweet tale of pure beauty and wonderment. It doesn’t require tons of action, or a giant overarching adventure story, but rather it strikes a balance of visual cues and pure silence to capture the attention of the audience. Supposedly they actually studied real animals and watched their movements in order to capture the realism of motion that we see on screen. As a technical writer I have to look at the script and realize that it’s very simplistic and fluffy, but the dialog is really not the focus of the movie. It’s a movie that is in its best moments when you’re just watching the characters interact on screen, and lose yourself in the magic.

I can’t remember much of my VERY young childhood (like most people), but I have very vivid memories of watching Bambi on a 13 inch TV with my treasured VHS copy in hand. It’s something that seems to appeal to viewers of all ages, and even today as I approach 40 years of age, I can’t help but get caught up in the pure joy and infectious laughter that the movie elicits. There’s something very mature about it despite the simplicity and even though there is no life lessons like in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves or Pinocchio, it has a way of making you contemplating the simple things in life. Not to mention the fact that it was the first Disney movie to actually have the viewer deal with the death of a main character in such a way that you had to ask your parents about it (Even though the witch dies in Snow White, it wasn’t obvious enough to young children the same way that his mother dying was.

Some of the limited story elements may seem dated today, but this was an age of pure magic and unadulterated beauty back in the Golden Age of Disney films, and I dare say that Bambi is probably one of THE best films of that entire 1930-1950 era that defined the start of Disney’s career. I still think Mary Poppins is his best film, but out of the animated lineup, there will ALWAYS be a special place in every child’s heart for Bambi (although I would unapologetically skip the DTV sequels made some time back).




Rating:

Rated G for General Audiences




Video:

Bambi had a BREATHTAKING transfer back in 2011, and it has aged incredibly well. I still put it up there with some of THE best looking encodes being produced today, as Disney was able to completely replicate the theatrical experience (as much as I could research) and has done so by making the 70 minute film just fill out the 50 gig Blu-ray disc and allow it to shine. Compression artifacts are the bane of most animated films, but Bambi is free from any to my eye. Colors are lush and rich, with the beauteous greens of the forest crisp and clear, along with soft blues and the lovely earthen tones of the fawn Bambi himself. Lines are clean and clear, with no signs of jaggies or softness around the edges, and the cell animation looks to be picture perfect. Every detail, every pastel background, and every line drawn by hand is amazingly clear and sharp, with fidelity that makes you want to cry. Just a perfect looking image.





Audio:

Being that the video encode is the same from the Diamond Edition, I was a little saddened (although I was expecting it) to see that the same audio encode was put on the disc. The 2011 disc didn’t employ a lossless DTS-HD MA track, but rather used a NEAR lossless DTS-HD HR 7.1 track instead (most likely a space saving issue). It’s not a HUGE deal as Bambi sounds great on the Blu-ray, but it would have been nice to eek every bit of auditory fidelity out of the track as humanely possible. Vocals are crisp and clear, and the sounds of the forest are incredibly well done, but I do have to admit that the 7.1 mixing from the 2.0 track (we have that original audio in 2.0 Dolby Digital on the disc) is a bit overkill. The surrounds don’t get as much activity as a native 7.1 mix, and the LFE is a bit soft. It’s not a fault of the mix per se, but rather the source material being a very simple 2.0 mix from back in Disney’s golden era.
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Extras:

• THE BAMBI EFFECT – "Bambi" was full of innovations for its time. Let's take a look at how those past innovations affected future Disney animated titles all the way up to today.

• STUDIO STORIES: "BAMBI" – Recordings of Walt Disney. Listen in on intimate moments where he discusses the challenges, pitfalls and triumphs during the production of "Bambi."
• DELETED SCENE: BAMBI'S ICE AND SNOW – Bambi coaxes Thumper and his brothers and sisters to come play on the ice during the first snow.
• DELETED SCENE: THE GRASSHOPPER – A grasshopper confronts Bambi and Thumper and finds himself in quite a predicament.
• BAMBI FAWN FACTS – Think you know everything there is to know about Bambi and his forest companions? Well, it's time to discover some fun real-life facts about the creatures that live in the forest he calls home.
• OSWALD THE LUCKY RABBIT: "AFRICA BEFORE DARK" – Oswald Short.
• CELEBRATING TYRUS WONG (DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE) – A heartfelt look at the man who played a key role in the success of "Bambi." Much like Mary Blair and Eyvind Earle, Tyrus Wong had a unique signature style all to his own. The soft water-colored backgrounds and beautiful palettes in "Bambi" were inspired by Tyrus' concept art paintings.

CLASSIC:

• DELETED SCENES – Two Leaves, Bambi Stuck on a Reed, Winter Grass, Twitterpated
• THE MAKING OF BAMBI: A PRINCE IS BORN
  • STORY: TELLING THE TALE
  • CHARACTERS: DRAWN TO NATURE
  • ACTORS: GIVING VOICE TO ANIMALS
  • ART DESIGN: IMPRESSIONS OF THE FOREST
  • MUSIC: NATURE'S SYMPHONY
  • HISTORY: BACK TO THE BEGINNING
• TRICK OF THE TRADE (Excerpt)
• INSIDE THE DISNEY ARCHIVES
• THE OLD MILL: ANIMATED SHORT
• ORIGINAL THEATRICAL TRAILER
• THE GOLDEN AGE

Final Score: ​

Bambi is probably one of Disney’s most classic films, and these re-releases from the Vault make it all the sweeter when there’s ACTUALLY something worthy of upgrading (for those of us who already have the diamond editions). Sure, the video encode is the same and I’m slightly disappointed at Disney putting the same DTS-HD HR track on the disc instead of upgrading to DTS-HD MA, but there are some VERY cool supplements in the new package that are more than just a “oh, they put 5 minutes of extras on here and are trying to just repackage the old set). We ARE missing a small handful of the classic extras from the Diamond Edition (pretty standard fare for the Signature Collection films so far), but there are some pretty impressive new ones to take their place. For those who haven’t got the old Diamond discs, then this is a no brainer. The old set is out of print, and this new Signature Collection carries over the same great video and good audio, just with a nice new set of extras. For those who HAVE the set already, it really will depend on how much the brand-new extras appeal to you. Either way, the film itself is a must own, and this is a worthy crown jewel in the Disney classics lineup.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Bobette Audrey, Stan Alexander, Hardie Albright
Directed by: James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, David Hand, Graham Heid, Bill Roberts, Paul Satterfield, Norman Wright
Written by: Felix Salten (Story from), Perce Pearch, Larry Morey
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD HR 7.1, English DD 2.0, French, Spanish DD 5.1
Studio: Universal
Rated: G
Runtime: 70 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: June 6th, 2017

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Must Own